https://stm2.bookpi.org/AMDMPSFSCK <p>This book critically examines the agronomic and market drivers influencing mango productivity among smallholder farmers in Siaya County, Kenya. Although mango farming presents significant potential for enhancing rural livelihoods and income diversification, its productivity remains constrained by a complex interplay of production and market-related factors. Adopting an integrated analytical framework, the study investigates key agronomic practices—including fertilization, pruning, weeding, pest and disease control, and varietal selection—alongside market dynamics such as access, pricing, and value chain coordination. Grounded in empirical evidence, this work contributes to existing knowledge by bridging the gap between farm-level production decisions and market performance, offering insights to inform extension agents, farmers, policy makers and support sustainable agricultural transformation.</p> <p>The author expresses sincere appreciation to supervisors, colleagues, and all stakeholders within the mango value chain for their invaluable support. Special gratitude is extended to the ward agricultural extension officers, smallholder farmers in Siaya County whose participation made this study possible, as well as to family and friends for their encouragement throughout this journey.</p> en-US Wed, 08 Jul 2026 05:35:41 +0000 OJS 3.3.0.10 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss 60 https://stm2.bookpi.org/AMDMPSFSCK/article/view/1435 <p>Mango (<em>Mangifera indica</em> L.) is an important fruit crop in Kenya, but productivity in Siaya County remains constrained by agronomic and market-related factors. This study examined the agronomic and market drivers of mango productivity among smallholder farmers in four sub-counties of Siaya County: Rarieda, Bondo, Ugenya and Alego-Usonga. Specifically, it assessed farmers' socio-economic characteristics, the influence of farmer group affiliation, the effects of agronomic practices on yield, and the role of marketing channels in sales and farm income. A cross-sectional analytical design was used. Data were collected in 2022 from 396 randomly selected mango farmers and 12 purposively selected ward agricultural officers through questionnaires, focus group discussions, interviews and secondary sources. Descriptive statistics, analysis of variance and t-tests were used to analyse relationships between production drivers and outcomes. The findings showed that gender, labour source, extension access and credit availability shaped the adoption of improved practices and participation in markets. Group-affiliated farmers recorded higher yields and better bargaining capacity than non-affiliated farmers. Organic manure application, pruning, and pest and disease management were associated with improved productivity. Marketing channels also influenced income, with structured outlets offering more favourable returns than brokers or farm-gate sales. The study concludes that improving extension support, farmer organisation, gender-sensitive services and structured marketing systems is essential for increasing mango productivity and incomes in Siaya County.</p> Beatrice Pamela Atieno Okelo, Thomas Rewe, Leo Ogallo Copyright (c) 2026 Author(s). The licensee is the publisher (BP International). https://stm2.bookpi.org/AMDMPSFSCK/article/view/1435 Wed, 08 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000